Greater Animator: What. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Greater Animator: What. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Enchanter_Tom
11-27-07, 02:11 AM I just skimmed the Mind's Eye article with the kineticist expanded class option, and I was struck by several things (that have already probably been mentioned).

1. Bigger objects don't do more damage.
2. You may only target a single object and you have to concentrate on it.
3. Kineticists don't have a true equivalent of animate objects.

This makes me sad.
Lokiyn
11-27-07, 03:05 AM It only seems useless.

The important thing to remember is that while you will always have small objects on hand there are reasons to want heavier objects.

Larger objects have more Hit Points although this doesn't seem important at first see the next point Objects beyond a certain size (roughly 2 feet wide and at least 5 feet tall) grant a cover bonusPillar

A common sight in any dungeon, pillars and columns give support to ceilings. The larger the room, the more likely it has pillars. As a rule of thumb, the deeper in the dungeon a room is, the thicker the pillars need to be to support the overhead weight. Pillars tend to be polished and often have carvings, paintings, or inscriptions upon them.
Slender Pillar

These pillars are only a foot or two across, so they don’t occupy a whole square. A creature standing in the same square as a slender pillar gains a +2 cover bonus to Armor Class and a +1 cover bonus on Reflex saves (these bonuses don’t stack with cover bonuses from other sources). The presence of a slender pillar does not otherwise affect a creature’s fighting space, because it’s assumed that the creature is using the pillar to its advantage when it can. A typical slender pillar has AC 4, hardness 8, and 250 hit points.
Wide Pillar

These pillars take up an entire square and provide cover to anyone behind them. They have AC 3, hardness 8, and 900 hit points. A DC 20 Climb check is sufficient to climb most pillars; the DC increases to 25 for polished or unusually slick ones.
Stalagmite/Stalactite

These tapering natural rock columns extend from the floor (stalagmite) or the ceiling (stalactite). Stalagmites and stalactites function as slender pillars.
Statue

Most statues function as wide pillars, taking up a square and providing cover. Some statues are smaller and act as slender pillars. A DC 15 Climb check allows a character to climb a statue.
Tapestry

Elaborately embroidered patterns or scenes on cloth, tapestries hang from the walls of well-appointed dungeon rooms or corridors. Crafty builders take advantage of tapestries to place alcoves, concealed doors, or secret switches behind them.

Tapestries provide total concealment (50% miss chance) to characters behind them if they’re hanging from the ceiling, or concealment (20% miss chance) if they’re flush with the wall. Climbing a big tapestry isn’t particularly difficult, requiring a DC 15 Climb check (or DC 10 if a wall is within reach). These are the most common items in use in the rules but others could apply. Battlefield control, no matter what the source is useful. This is best when used with the Solicit Psicrystal to free up your actions. Or for a more morbid use, i've used the control objects to allow the fallen to fight beyond their limits. But i need the great animator to get the weight within limits.

Its not a matter of damage, its a matter of opening up a larger range of options for the manifester.

We've actually combined this with an item to make classic amulets of animation. The monstrous result is similar to an undead creature but much more resilient (since you have to deal enough damage to destroy objects rather than a creature)

Large enough objects can take hundreds of points worth of damage before crumbling. Although they aren't quite as good as astral construct they are still and option avalible to a kineticist that shapers do not have (plus hardness is always a +)
InkBlot
11-27-07, 01:36 PM It also helps to think of it like a free TK force. Greater Animator and TK force each have benefits and disadvantages, and they're suprisingly even. Of course, as a substitution level you're giving up a feat for, Greater Animator should be distinctly better than the TK force that just any psion can get. If Greater Animator were available at 1st level, then it would beat the pants, psionic off of TK force.
Sagetim
11-27-07, 03:03 PM It also helps to think of it like a free TK force. Greater Animator and TK force each have benefits and disadvantages, and they're suprisingly even. Of course, as a substitution level you're giving up a feat for, Greater Animator should be distinctly better than the TK force that just any psion can get. If Greater Animator were available at 1st level, then it would beat the pants, psionic off of TK force.

Then I suppose TK Force would have to manifest Psionic Emergency Pants. wouldn't it?

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/Sagetim/emergencypants.jpg
InkBlot
11-27-07, 04:27 PM Emergency Pants, Psionic
Psychoportation (Teleportation)
Level: Lurk 1, Psion/Wilder 1, Psychic Warrior 1, Repose 1
Display: Material
Manifesting Time: 1 immediate action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One pair of pants; see text
Duration: 1 min./level; see text (D)
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 1

You call a pair of pants “from thin air” onto your naked legs (actually, it is a real pair of pants hailing from another location in space and time). You don’t have to see or know of a pair of pants to call it -- in fact, you can’t call a specific pair of pants; you just specify the kind. If you call short pants, they come with 1d2 nonmagical socks, stockings, or sandles, as appropriate. The pants are made of ordinary materials as appropriate for their kind. If you remove the pants you called for 2 or more consecutive rounds, they automatically return to wherever they originated.

Pants gained by emergency pants, psionic are distinctive due to their astral glimmer. They are considered magic pants and thus are effective against damage reduction that requires a magic pair of pants to overcome.

Augment: For every 2 additional power points you spend, this power calls pants for a friend as well. You must be adjacent to your friend in order for the pants to appear on him or her, and your friend's pants only automatically disappear if they are removed from him or her for 2 or more consecutive rounds.
Fatalis_902
11-27-07, 04:45 PM :heehee: Haha... That's great...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Enchanter_Tom 11-27-07, 02:11 AM	I just skimmed the Mind's Eye article with the kineticist expanded class option, and I was struck by several things (that have already probably been mentioned). 1. Bigger objects don't do more damage. 2. You may only target a single object and you have to concentrate on it. 3. Kineticists don't have a true equivalent of animate objects. This makes me sad.
Lokiyn 11-27-07, 03:05 AM	It only seems useless. The important thing to remember is that while you will always have small objects on hand there are reasons to want heavier objects. Larger objects have more Hit Points although this doesn't seem important at first see the next point Objects beyond a certain size (roughly 2 feet wide and at least 5 feet tall) grant a cover bonusPillar A common sight in any dungeon, pillars and columns give support to ceilings. The larger the room, the more likely it has pillars. As a rule of thumb, the deeper in the dungeon a room is, the thicker the pillars need to be to support the overhead weight. Pillars tend to be polished and often have carvings, paintings, or inscriptions upon them. Slender Pillar These pillars are only a foot or two across, so they don’t occupy a whole square. A creature standing in the same square as a slender pillar gains a +2 cover bonus to Armor Class and a +1 cover bonus on Reflex saves (these bonuses don’t stack with cover bonuses from other sources). The presence of a slender pillar does not otherwise affect a creature’s fighting space, because it’s assumed that the creature is using the pillar to its advantage when it can. A typical slender pillar has AC 4, hardness 8, and 250 hit points. Wide Pillar These pillars take up an entire square and provide cover to anyone behind them. They have AC 3, hardness 8, and 900 hit points. A DC 20 Climb check is sufficient to climb most pillars; the DC increases to 25 for polished or unusually slick ones. Stalagmite/Stalactite These tapering natural rock columns extend from the floor (stalagmite) or the ceiling (stalactite). Stalagmites and stalactites function as slender pillars. Statue Most statues function as wide pillars, taking up a square and providing cover. Some statues are smaller and act as slender pillars. A DC 15 Climb check allows a character to climb a statue. Tapestry Elaborately embroidered patterns or scenes on cloth, tapestries hang from the walls of well-appointed dungeon rooms or corridors. Crafty builders take advantage of tapestries to place alcoves, concealed doors, or secret switches behind them. Tapestries provide total concealment (50% miss chance) to characters behind them if they’re hanging from the ceiling, or concealment (20% miss chance) if they’re flush with the wall. Climbing a big tapestry isn’t particularly difficult, requiring a DC 15 Climb check (or DC 10 if a wall is within reach). These are the most common items in use in the rules but others could apply. Battlefield control, no matter what the source is useful. This is best when used with the Solicit Psicrystal to free up your actions. Or for a more morbid use, i've used the control objects to allow the fallen to fight beyond their limits. But i need the great animator to get the weight within limits. Its not a matter of damage, its a matter of opening up a larger range of options for the manifester. We've actually combined this with an item to make classic amulets of animation. The monstrous result is similar to an undead creature but much more resilient (since you have to deal enough damage to destroy objects rather than a creature) Large enough objects can take hundreds of points worth of damage before crumbling. Although they aren't quite as good as astral construct they are still and option avalible to a kineticist that shapers do not have (plus hardness is always a +)
InkBlot 11-27-07, 01:36 PM	It also helps to think of it like a free TK force. Greater Animator and TK force each have benefits and disadvantages, and they're suprisingly even. Of course, as a substitution level you're giving up a feat for, Greater Animator should be distinctly better than the TK force that just any psion can get. If Greater Animator were available at 1st level, then it would beat the pants, psionic off of TK force.
Sagetim 11-27-07, 03:03 PM	It also helps to think of it like a free TK force. Greater Animator and TK force each have benefits and disadvantages, and they're suprisingly even. Of course, as a substitution level you're giving up a feat for, Greater Animator should be distinctly better than the TK force that just any psion can get. If Greater Animator were available at 1st level, then it would beat the pants, psionic off of TK force. Then I suppose TK Force would have to manifest Psionic Emergency Pants. wouldn't it? http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/Sagetim/emergencypants.jpg
InkBlot 11-27-07, 04:27 PM	Emergency Pants, Psionic Psychoportation (Teleportation) Level: Lurk 1, Psion/Wilder 1, Psychic Warrior 1, Repose 1 Display: Material Manifesting Time: 1 immediate action Range: 0 ft. Effect: One pair of pants; see text Duration: 1 min./level; see text (D) Saving Throw: None Power Resistance: No Power Points: 1 You call a pair of pants “from thin air” onto your naked legs (actually, it is a real pair of pants hailing from another location in space and time). You don’t have to see or know of a pair of pants to call it -- in fact, you can’t call a specific pair of pants; you just specify the kind. If you call short pants, they come with 1d2 nonmagical socks, stockings, or sandles, as appropriate. The pants are made of ordinary materials as appropriate for their kind. If you remove the pants you called for 2 or more consecutive rounds, they automatically return to wherever they originated. Pants gained by emergency pants, psionic are distinctive due to their astral glimmer. They are considered magic pants and thus are effective against damage reduction that requires a magic pair of pants to overcome. Augment: For every 2 additional power points you spend, this power calls pants for a friend as well. You must be adjacent to your friend in order for the pants to appear on him or her, and your friend's pants only automatically disappear if they are removed from him or her for 2 or more consecutive rounds.
Fatalis_902 11-27-07, 04:45 PM	:heehee: Haha... That's great...